Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830-1903) Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830-1903) Marjie Bloy , Ph. D., Senior Research Fellow, the Victorian Web [ Victorian Web Home —> Political History —> Prime Ministers ] Robert Gascoyne-Cecil served three times as Prime Minister: from 23 June 1885 to 28 January 1886; from 25 July 1886 to 11 August 1892; and from 25 June 1895 to 11 July 1902 The third son and fifth child of six of James Brownlow William Gascoyne-Cecil and his first wife Frances Mary Gascoyne, he was born on 3 February 1830 at Hatfield House. However, their second son died at the age of two, leaving Salisbury effectively as the second son. The family was descended from the first Lord Salisbury, the son of Lord Burghley who was Elizabeth I's minister.

Salisbury was educated by a private tutor and briefly attended a boarding school near Hatfield; between 1840 and 1845 he was a student at Eton but he was removed because of constant bullying and again had a private tutor at Hatfield. In 1847 he was admitted to Christ Church, Oxford, and was awarded his Degree in 1850; in 1853 he obtained a fourth class Degree in maths and an MA in 1853. Between July 1851 and May 1853 he visited South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, and soon after his return was elected as MP for Stamford. He made his maiden speech in April 1854. On 11 July 1857 Salisbury married Georgina Alderson, the daughter of a judge, despite his father's opposition. Consequently, his father refused to increase his son's allowance and Salisbury was obliged to become a journalist to earn enough money to keep his family. He wrote articles on a regular basis for Bentley's Review and the Tory periodical the Quarterly Review.

In April 1850 he entered Lincoln's Inn, but his financial situation did not become secure until the death of his elder brother in 1865 at which point Salisbury took the courtesy title of Viscount Cranbourne and became heir to the wealth and estates of his family. Hatfield House in Hertfordshire: the home of the Cecil family. In July 1866 he was appointed as Secretary of State for India in Lord Derby 's third ministry and was also made a Privy Counsellor; however, he resigned from the government in March 1867 because he opposed the extension of the franchise proposed in Disraeli 's second Reform Bill. In March 1868 he spoke against Gladstone 's proposal for the disestablishment of the Irish Church; it proved to be his last speech in the Commons because his father died the next month and Salisbury succeeded to the title and a seat in the House of Lords. In the general election of 1874 the Tories won a majority, and Disraeli became PM; Salisbury was appointed as Secretary of State for India once again although relations between the two men were not always easy.

In December 1876 Salisbury was sent as Britain's representative to the Six Powers' conference on the Eastern Question in Constantinople [Istanbul]. Although the conference ended in the failure of the Powers to find a solution, it was clear that Salisbury had made a good impression on other European leaders. On the resignation of Lord Derby in April 1878, Salisbury was appointed as Britain's Foreign Secretary but before he took up his post formally, he issued the 'Salisbury Circular' to other European powers on why the treaty of San Stefano — agreed between the Ottoman Empire and Russia — should not be accepted by Europe. Consequently, the Congress of Berlin met between 13 June and 13 July 1878, hosted by Prussia under the auspices of Count Otto von Bismarck. Salisbury and Disraeli, who attended on behalf of Britain, claimed to have returned with 'peace with honour' for Britain following the signing of the treaty that supposedly settled the problems in the Balkans. For his efforts, Salisbury was created a Knight of the Garter.

On the death of Disraeli in 1880, Salisbury assumed leadership of the parliamentary opposition in the House of Lords to Gladstone's Liberal Government. The same role in the Commons was filled by Sir Stafford Northcote: the two men were deemed to be a dual leadership of the Conservative Party in the country. In October 1883 Salisbury published (anonymously but recognisably) an article in the Quarterly Review on the dangers of radicalism: this was during the process of framing the third Reform Bill. Gladstone's government was brought down on a vote over the Budget and Salisbury accepted office as PM on 23 June 1885. He then decided to take on the role of Foreign Secretary as well. In the December general election he failed to win a majority: the results were as follows: Liberals — 335 Conservatives —249 Irish Nationalists —86 Shortly afterwards the government was defeated over the issue of the 'three acres and a cow' amendment to the Queen's Speech on 28 January 1886.

The reality of the debate was not on whether every person should be entitled to the 'three acres and a cow' but on whether Ireland should be granted Home Rule. However, Salisbury returned to power within the year, following the defeat of Gladstone's bill for Irish Home Rule with his party reinforced by the addition of Joseph Chamberlain's "Liberal Unionists": Liberals who opposed Gladstone's attempts to give home rule to Ireland. Salisbury's Chancellor of the Exchequer was Lord Randolph Churchill — father of Winston Churchill — nother unpredictable ally. Salisbury was reported as saying, 'I have four departments —the Prime Minister's, the Foreign Office, the Queen and Randolph Churchill; the burden of them increases in that order'. In December 1886 Churchill resigned after a series of differences with Salisbury: it is thought that he did not expect his resignation to be accepted and was most surprised when it was. Salisbury's habit of appointing his family to positions of power is thought to have been the origin of the expression, "Bob's your uncle": in 1887 he appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary of Ireland.

In 1888 the government passed the Local Government Act, which created County Councils that were responsible for local administration. The following year the British South Africa Company was granted a Royal Charter to colonise an area in central east Africa that ultimately became Rhodesia with its capital at Salisbury [now Zimbabwe and Harare respectively]. Salisbury attempted to avoid alignments in European affairs, maintaining the policy of what was later called splendid isolation. Colonial affairs, however, brought difficulties with some of the European powers. an Anglo-German agreement in 1890 resolved conflicting claims in East Africa: by the agreement, Great Britain received Zanzibar and Uganda in exchange for Heligoland a treaty with Portugal in 1891 gave Britain further rights in East Africa. the Fashoda Incident of 1898 brought Britain and France to the verge of war but ended in a diplomatic victory for Britain.

difficulties with the Boers-Dutch settlers in southern Africa who had attempted to escape from British rule-resulted in the Boer War of 1899--1902 Salisbury conciliated the United States at the time of the Venezuela Boundary Dispute (1895) the Spanish-American War the Panama negotiations In 1891 his government passed an Education Act that introduced free elementary education but the general election of 1892 resulted in a small majority for the Liberals; Salisbury resigned and Gladstone formed his fourth and last ministry, retiring finally in March 1894 to give way to Lord Rosebery . Rosebery's ministry was defeated in 1895 on a vote on the Army Estimates and Salisbury formed a coalition government with the Duke of Devonshire and Joseph Chamberlain until an election could be held. Chamberlain had taken a substantial number of Liberal MPs over to the ranks of the Conservatives because they disagreed with Gladstone's attempts to give Home Rule to Ireland. Having split the Liberal Party in the 1880s, Chamberlain went on to do the same to the Conservative and Unionist Party in 1903.

This ministry passed the Workmen's Compensation Act in 1897 and a Local Government Act for Ireland in 1898. In the reconstructed administration of 1900 there were so many of Salisbury's relations holding office that it was nicknamed the 'Hotel Cecil'. During this part of the ministry, relations with the Boers living in the South African Republic (the Transvaal and the Orange Free State) deteriorated over the rights of the "foreigners" to vote: Paul Kruger had no intention of allowing the Boers to be outnumbered by other settlers. In October 1899 the Boer War broke out, ending only in May 1902 with the Treaty of Vereenging. As his health failed, Salisbury handed over the Foreign Office to Lord Lansdowne; in July 1902 he resigned as PM on the grounds of ill health and was succeeded by his nephew, Arthur Balfour. Salisbury died on 22 August 1903 at Hatfield House. He was 73 years old. Recommended Reading Cecil, D. The Cecils of Hatfield House. London, 1973. Kennedy, AL.

Salisbury 1830-1903: Portrait of a Statesman. London, 1953. Roberts, Andrew. Salisbury, Victorian Titan. 1st ed. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999. Now available in paperback from Faber, 2010. 984pp. [ Reviewed by Joe Pilling] Taylor, R. Lord Salisbury. London, 1975. Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury | prime minister of United Kingdom | Britannica.com Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury prime minister of United Kingdom Written By: Alternative Titles: Baron Cecil of Essendon, Robert Cecil, Baron Cecil of Essendon, Viscount Cranborne Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury Prime minister of United Kingdom Also known as Robert Cecil, Baron Cecil of Essendon born Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert, 4th earl of Carnarvon Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury, (born Feb.

3, 1830, Hatfield , Hertfordshire, Eng.—died Aug. 22, 1903, Hatfield), Conservative political leader who was three-time prime minister (1885–86, 1886–92, 1895–1902) and four-time foreign secretary (1878, 1885–86, 1886–92, 1895–1900), who presided over a wide expansion of Great Britain’s colonial empire. Robert Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury BBC Hulton Picture Library/Globe Robert Cecil was the second surviving son of the 2nd Marquess of Salisbury , who had married Frances Gascoyne, an heiress to large landed estates. Cecil’s elder brother suffered from a debilitating illness all his life and died in 1865; thus Lord Robert Cecil became heir to the estates, and, on the death of his father in 1868, he became the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury.

His family background allowed him easy entry into any profession, but only merit and ability could ensure high office. Robert Cecil’s childhood was unhappy and lonely. He was exceptionally clever but not especially strong, and he hated games. His father was conscientious but lacking in warmth. His mother, by all accounts sociable and vivacious , died when he was only 10. He was sent to Eton, where he was perpetually bullied. He was by nature pessimistic, withdrawn, and shy, but his courtesy, modesty, and fair-minded tolerance combined to make an attractive personality. Taken from school when he was 15, he was tutored privately. His love for scholarship was deep. At 18 he entered Christ Church, Oxford, but his stay was cut short by a breakdown in health. On the advice of his doctors, he set out on a long sea voyage to Australia and New Zealand . He was absent from England for almost two years. During this time his character matured. He regained his health and acquired self-confidence. He was still uncertain as to his future career; both the church and politics attracted him.

When he was offered a seat in Parliament for Stamford in 1853, he chose politics and was elected to the House of Commons . He fell in love with Georgina Alderson, but his father objected to the marriage, regarding her lack of social standing and wealth as an impediment to an alliance with the Cecil family . Nonetheless, the marriage took place in 1857. They had five sons and two surviving daughters. Salisbury was a man of strong religious faith and enjoyed a happy home life. Lady Salisbury was intelligent and sociable, and all the Cecils came to regard Hatfield as their home. Hatfield also became one of the great houses in which distinguished visitors were entertained. Britannica Stories EU Considers Rules For Robots During the years from 1853 to 1874, Salisbury was only briefly a government minister (secretary of state for India, July 1866 to March 1867) but resigned office in disagreement over the Conservative government’s espousal of parliamentary reform. He became deeply suspicious of the new Conservative leader, Benjamin Disraeli .

Out of the government he was active as a member of the House of Commons and as a writer; he frequently contributed political articles to the Saturday Review and The Quarterly Review. He also interested himself in science, especially in botany and in electricity and magnetism; later he had his own laboratory built at Hatfield. In February 1874 Salisbury was persuaded to join Disraeli’s ministry and once more became secretary of state for India. During their seven years together in and out of office, Salisbury, overcoming his earlier prejudice , came to regard Disraeli with admiration and affection. Succeeding the inept Lord Derby as foreign secretary, Salisbury first became responsible for Britain’s foreign relations in April 1878, at a time of great crisis in the Balkans. It seemed probable that war would break out between Britain and Russia over the control of Constantinople. By masterly diplomacy Salisbury ensured that the Russians came to the conference table at the Congress of Berlin (June–July 1878). Disraeli occupied the limelight, but Salisbury’s careful and patient diplomacy secured the essential compromises. For their success Disraeli and Salisbury were granted the Order of the Garter, the highest decoration Queen Victoria could bestow.

British Culture and Politics After Disraeli’s death (1881), Salisbury led the Conservative opposition in the House of Lords . He became prime minister during the brief Conservative administration from June 1885 to January 1886. Ireland and imperial problems were then the chief issues. Salisbury opposed Gladstone on the question of Home Rule for Ireland and three times won the electoral support necessary to become prime minister (1886–92, 1895–1900, and 1900–02). During the greater part of these years, Salisbury combined the offices of prime minister and foreign secretary. He was not autocratic but left wide discretion to individual ministers. Weak control by the government as a whole sometimes had harmful results. This was one of the causes of the South African War (1899–1902), which occurred when Joseph Chamberlain was colonial secretary. But at the Foreign Office, Salisbury succeeded in avoiding serious conflict with the great European powers despite major crises and rivalries.

Britannica Lists & Quizzes Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies The partition of Africa largely preoccupied Salisbury’s second ministry (1886–92) and remained a source of serious Anglo-French conflict until 1898, when France accepted British dominance on the Nile after the Fashoda Crisis. Salisbury was an imperialist: he believed a phase of European, preferably British, rule indispensable for the advancement of the “backward” races and had no hesitation in imposing this rule by force, as he did in the Sudan (1896–99). His foreign policy was directed toward the defense and enlargement of the British Empire . He had no sympathy for older empires, such as the Ottoman , whose rulers he regarded as corrupt oppressors. Salisbury attempted but failed to gain the cooperation of the European powers to intervene against Turkey to bring to a halt the Armenian massacres (1895–96). He refused to be frightened either by U.S.

threats over Venezuela (1895) or by the Kaiser’s telegram (1896) to Paul Kruger , president of the Transvaal, congratulating him on repelling a raid from the British-controlled Cape Colony. During the last decade of the 19th century, when the principal powers grouped into alliances, Salisbury maintained a free hand for Britain. He was opposed to alliance commitments, fearing that when the time came a democratic electorate might refuse to go to war; he also regarded alliances for Britain as unnecessary and dangerous. He did not back Chamberlain’s unsuccessful efforts to conclude an alliance with Germany (1898–1901). History has reevaluated Salisbury’s contribution and acquitted him of the charge of “secret diplomacy”; nor was Salisbury an “isolationist,” since his diplomacy was active wherever Britain’s interests extended. During the last two years of his ministry, from the autumn of 1900 until the summer of 1902, old age and ill health forced him to give up the Foreign Office, though he continued as prime minister.

With Lord Lansdowne as the new foreign secretary, he saw his principles of diplomacy partially abandoned when Britain concluded an alliance with Japan in January 1902. Later that year, in July, Salisbury retired. Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest Salisbury was the last aristocratic statesman to head a British government while in the House of Lords and not the elected Commons. He represented a tradition that passed away with him. His contemporaries recognized his greatness as a statesman. He combined a realism and clarity of view with a fundamentally ethical approach to diplomacy, which sought to conciliate and pacify while maintaining important national interests. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | West Wing Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1,879pages on The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government in the United Kingdom.

List of Prime Ministers April 4, 1721 - February 11, 1742 The Earl of Wilmington February 16, 1742 - July 2, 1743 Henry Pelham August 27, 1743 - March 6, 1754 The Duke of Newcastle March 16, 1754 - November 16, 1756 The Duke of Devonshire November 16, 1756 - June 25, 1757 The Duke of Newcastle July 2, 1757 - May 26, 1762 The Earl of Bute May 26, 1762 - April 8, 1753 George Grenville April 16, 1753 - July 13, 1765 The Marquess of Rockingham July 13, 1765 - July 30, 1766 The Earl of Chatham July 30, 1766 - October 14, 1768 The Duke of Grafton October

 14, 1768 - January 28, 1770 Lord North January 28, 1770 - March 22, 1782 The Marquess of Rockingham March 27, 1782 - July 1, 1782 The Earl of Shelburne July 4, 1782 - April 2, 1783 The Duke of Portland April 2, 1783 - December 19, 1783 William Pitt the Younger December 19, 1783 - January 1, 1801 Henry Addington March 14, 1801 - May 10, 1804 William Pitt the Younger May 10, 1804 - January 23, 1806 William Grenville February 11, 1806 - March 31, 1807 The Duke of Portland March 31, 1807 - October 4, 1809 Spencer Perceval October 4, 1809 -

 May 11, 1812 The Earl of Liverpool June 8, 1812 - April 9, 1827 George Canning April 10, 1827 - August 8, 1827 The Viscount Goderich August 31, 1827 - January 21, 1828 The Duke of Wellington Tory (until 1834), Conservative (1834 onward) January 22, 1828 - November 16, 1830 The Earl Grey November 22, 1830 - July 16, 1834 Lord Melbourne July 16, 1834 - November 14, 1834 The Duke of Wellington Tory (until 1834), Conservative (1834 onward) November 14, 1834 - December 10, 1834 Sir Robert Peel December 10, 1834 - April 8, 1835 The Viscount Melbourne April 18, 1835 - August 30

, 1841 Sir Robert Peel, Bt August 30, 1841 - June 29, 1846 The Earl Russell August 15, 1892 - March 2, 1894 The Earl of Rosebery March 5, 1894 - June 22, 1895 The Marquess of Salisbury June 25, 1895 - July 11, 1902 Arthur Balfour July 11, 1902 - December 5, 1905 Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman December 5, 1905 - April 3, 1908 H.H.

Asquith April 5, 1908 - December 5, 1916 David Lloyd George December 6, 1916 - October 19, 1922 Andrew Bonar Law October 23, 1922 - May 22, 1923 Stanley Baldwin May 23, 1923 - January 16, 1924 Ramsay MacDonald January 22, 1924 - November 4, 1924 Stanley Baldwin November 4, 1924 - June 5, 1929 Ramsay MacDonald June 5, 1929 - June 7, 1935 Stanley Baldwin June 7, 1935 - May 28, 1937 Neville Chamberlain May 28, 1937 - May 10, 1940 Winston Churchill May 10, 1940 - July 26, 1945 Clement Attlee July 26, 1945 - October 26, 1951 Winston Churchill October 

26, 1951 - April 6, 1955 Anthony Eden April 6, 1955 - January 10, 1957 Harold Macmillan January 10, 1957 - October 18, 1963 Sir Alec Douglas-Home October 19, 1963 - October 16, 1964 Harold Wilson October 16, 1964 - June 19, 1970 Edward Heath June 19, 1970 - March 4, 1974 Harold Wilson March 4, 1974 - April 5, 1976 James Callaghan April 5, 1976 - May 4, 1979 Margaret Thatcher May 4, 1979 - November 28, 1990 John Major November 28, 1990 - May 2, 1997 Richard Meyer May 2, 1997 - May 5, 2005 Maureen Graty May 5, 200

5 - May 11, 2010 David Cameron List of Prime Ministers of United Kingdom World Map / List of world trivia / Prime Ministers of United Kingdom List of Prime Ministers of United Kingdom S.

No 27 June 2007- 11 May 2010 Labour 2 May 1997 -27 June 2007 Labour 28 November 1990 – 2 May 1997 Conservative 4 May 1979 – 28 November 1990 Conservative 5 April 1976 – 4 May 1979 Labour Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom 4 March 1974 – 5 April 1976 Labour Broadstairs, Kent England, United Kingdom 19 June 1970 – 4 March 1974 Conservative Huddersfield, West Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom 16 October 1964- 19 June 1970 Labour 28 South Street, Mayfair, London, England 19 October 1963- 16 October 1964 Conservative 10 January 1957 – 19 October 1963 Conservative 6 April 1955 – 10 January 1957 Conservative 

26 October 1951 – 6 April 1955 Conservative 26 July 1945 -26 October 1951 Labour 10 May 1940 – 26 July 1945 Conservative 28 May 1937 – 10 May 1940 Conservative 7 June 1935- 28 May 1937 Conservative 5 June 1929 – 7 June 1935 Labour 4 November 1924- 5 June 1929 Conservative 22 January 1924 -4 November 1924 Labour 23 May 1923 – 16 January 1924 Conservative Kingston, Colony of New Brunswick (now part of Canada) 23 October 1922 – 22 May 1923 Conservative 6 December 1916 – 19 October 1922 Liberal Morley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom 5 April 1908 – 5 December 1916 Liberal Kelvinside House,

 Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom 5 December 1905 – 5 April 1908 Liberal Whittingehame House, East Lothian, Scotland 11 July 1902 – 5 December 1905 Conservative Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom 25 June 1895 – 11 July 1902 Conservative Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery Mayfair, Middlesex, England 5 March 1894 – 22 June 1895 Liberal 15 August 1892 – 2 March 1894 Liberal Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom 25 July 1886 – 11 August 1892 Conservative 1 February 1886 – 20 July 1886 Liberal Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom 23 June 1

885 – 28 January 1886 Conservative 23 April 1880 – 9 June 1885 Liberal Benjamin Disraeli,1st Earl of Beaconsfield London, United Kingdom 20 February 1874 – 21 April 1880 Conservative 3 December 1868 – 17 February 1874 Liberal 27 February 1868 – 1 December 1868 Conservative Edward Smith-Stanley,14th Earl of Derby Knowsley Park, Lancashire, England 28 June 1866 – 25 February 1868 Conservative John Russell, 1st Earl Russell Mayfair, Middlesex, England 29 October 1865 – 26 June 1866 Liberal Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Westminster, Middlesex, England 12 June 1859 – 18 October 1865 Liberal Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Knowsley Park, Lancashire, England 20 February 1858 – 11 June

 1859 Conservative Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston Westminster, Middlesex, England 6 February 1855 – 19 February 1858 Whig George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland 19 December 1852 – 30 January 1855 Peelite Edward Smith-Stanley,14th Earl of Derby Knowsley Park, Lancashire, England 23 February 1852 – 17 December 1852 Conservative John Russell, 1st Earl Russell Mayfair, Middlesex, England 30 June 1846 – 21 February 1852 Whig History of Robert Cecil - GOV.UK GOV.UK Robert Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury Foreign Secretary April 1878 to April 1880, June 1885 to February 1886, January 1887 to August 1892 and June 1895 to November 1900 Lived 1830 to 1903 Dates in office April 1

878 to April 1880, June 1885 to February 1886, January 1887 to August 1892 and June 1895 to November 1900 Political party Interesting facts A Secretary of State who successfully combined the offices of Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary.

Lord Salisbury wrote in 1862 on his political hero, Lord Castlereagh, ‘There is nothing dramatic in the success of a diplomatist.’ Rather, his successes are ‘microscopic advantages’ derived from ‘sleepless tact, immovable calmness, and a patience that no folly, no provocation, no blunders can shake’. In 1900, at the end of over 13 years as Foreign Secretary from 1878, the 1862 biography seemed to serve as a self-portrait. Salisbury had a diplomatic baptism of fire as Plenipotentiary at the Constantinople Conference (1876 to 1877) where the inaction shown by Foreign Secretary Derby, in the face of the Eastern Crisis, allowed Salisbury to witness the dangers of passivity in diplomacy. When Salisbury became Foreign Secretary in March 1878 his circular despatch of 1 April challenged the dominance Russia had achieved over Turkey through the Treaty of San Stefano (1877).

Salisbury then negotiated 3 separate conventions with Austria, Russia and Turkey, endorsed at the Congress of Berlin in the summer, facilitating, in the words of Disraeli, ‘peace with honour’. After 5 years out of office, Salisbury became Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister in the caretaker government of 1885. Salisbury much preferred the Foreign Office to Downing Street. It was as Foreign Secretary that he could pursue a sophisticated intellectual policy in relative peace and quiet. It was in solitude that Salisbury thrived, but his impeccable manners meant that he would always listen to ambassadors and foreign dignitaries, often jabbing himself with a paper knife under the table to remain awake. Salisbury's personality and style of working A deeply religious man who refused to subvert Christianity to political purposes, he became highly empirical in office and disliked all dogmas and doctrines declaring ‘nothing can be certain until it happens’. Refusing to delegate and finding discussion unhelpful, Salisbury could be exceptionally difficult to work for. Salisbury’s foreign policy has been labelled ‘splendid isolation’ (in fact a phrase of Joseph Chamberlain's), but it was really anything but.

In early 1888 he said, “We are part of the community of Europe, and we must do our duty as such”. Salisbury believed that Britain was a satisfied power, and as such, that her best interests (namely imperial trade) were served by peace. Considering that all of the Great Powers, save Austria, impinged upon the empire somewhere, Salisbury focused on European diplomacy as the key to imperial security. Indeed, in 1887 he was concerned that the other powers would collectively treat the empire as ‘divisible booty’. However, his style was one of engagement without commitment. He struck agreements with Germany and France in 1890, Portugal in 1891 and the United States in 1895 which ensured that the ‘scramble for Africa’ was, at least in British terms, rather orderly. Yet he never entered into a formal alliance with any power while he was Foreign Secretary.

The closest he came were agreements with Austria and Italy to ensure the status quo in the Mediterranean in 1887, but these were ended in 1896 along with British interest in Constantinople, when Salisbury’s desire for the Royal Navy to intervene in the Armenian crisis was overruled by the Cabinet. Despite not being a democrat, he maintained the (somewhat expedient) constitutional smokescreen that Britain could not commit to a formal alliance because he could not know “what may be the humour of our people in circumstances which cannot be foreseen”. Achievements in office Salisbury firmly believed peace was in the best interests of the empire, but he was no pacifist. However, he thought the first rule in negotiation was to select beforehand “the one point which all others must subserve”. For Salisbury, the passage to India was sacrosanct. Therefore, threats to the Suez Canal (rather than Constantinople) and the Cape would meet with force. Kitchener's securing of the Upper Nile in 1898 could easily have caused a war with France.

Yet Salisbury, refusing to issue an ultimatum to a French government on the verge of collapse and allowing France to withdraw with some semblance of dignity, diffused the Fashoda Crisis in 1898. Events in the Cape escalated more quickly in 1899, and Salisbury was taken unawares by the Boers desire for confrontation. His declining health and Chamberlain’s secret German negotiations helped to weaken his grip on policy, yet he quickly replaced General Buller following Black Week with Roberts and Kitchener, and remained Prime Minister until June 1902 to see the war through. Salisbury said that the method of foreign policy was more important than the substance. His patience, tact and clarity of thought were unquestionable. He conceived of the empire and diplomacy as a single unit. Thus, while he was attacked for apparent inaction at the Russian entrance into Port Arthur in 1898, this was because securing the Upper Nile was of greater importance to an empire which could not afford a confrontation with two powers at once. Nevertheless, his tenure saw a huge expansion of imperial territory, including Nigeria, New Guinea, Rhodesia, Upper Burma, Zanzibar and the Transvaal.

He fended off German and French endeavours in East and West Africa respectively in the face of the Franco-Russian Alliance without war, and having only to lean to the triple Alliance. His was a policy of engagement with room to manoeuvre. In 1864, Salisbury lamented Britain's position “without a single ally and without a shred of influence”. By 1900, Britain was still without an ally, singularly thanks to Salisbury, but without influence she was not. Further reading Choose Your Weapons: The British Foreign Secretary, 200 Years of Argument Success and Failure by D Hurd (London, 2010) Salisbury 1830–1903: Portrait of a Statesman by AL Kennedy (London, 1953) ‘The Principles and Methods of Lord Salisbury's Foreign Policy’ in the Cambridge Historical Journal Vol. 5 No. 1 (1935), p.87-106, LM Penson ‘The Principles and Methods of Lord Salisbury’s Foreign Policy’ in Cambridge Historical Journal Vol. 5 No.

1 (1935), p.87-106 Salisbury: Victorian Titan, A Roberts (London, 1999) ‘Cecil, Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne’ in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography by P. Smith, (Oxford, 2004) Lord Salisbury: A Political Biography by D Steele (UCL, 1999) Help us improve GOV.UK

Question: Who was Prime Minister from June 1885 to January 1886, June 1886 to August 1892 and June 1895 to July 1902?
Answer: MARQUESS OF SALISBURY